High court declines to overrule cases on federal regulatory powers
The U.S. Supreme Court is declining to overrule two past cases that had been criticized by conservatives as giving unelected officials vast lawmaking power.
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Court: Stealing official’s husband can’t gain from fraudulent land transfer
The husband of the former Owen County auditor, who was found to have purchased about $346,000 worth of personal items with county-issued credit cards, must repay the full amount of money he received from the sale of land that his wife fraudulently transferred to him.
Harassment charges over man’s calls to lawmakers, state agency upheld
A man accused of repeatedly making harassing phone calls to Indiana lawmakers’ aides and staff members at the Secretary of State’s Office must face multiple misdemeanor charges, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
Bose attorney to challenge Hill for Republican AG nomination
An Indianapolis attorney with Bose McKinney & Evans LLP will challenge Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill for the Republican nomination to become Indiana’s top lawyer. Formal announcements at four stops around the state are scheduled for Thursday.
DCS lawsuit details harm to children
An 81-page lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Indiana Department of Child Services claims the agency is failing to protect children and further inflicting trauma by placing foster children in inappropriate, unstable or overly restrictive facilities and not providing the necessary medical and mental health care.
New laws for 2019
The following enrolled acts, followed in parentheses by their corresponding public law numbers, take effect July 1 unless otherwise noted below.
Census, redistricting top remaining Supreme Court cases
The Supreme Court enters its final week of decisions with two politically charged issues unresolved: whether to rein in political line-drawing for partisan gain and allow a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
Zipping into statutes: Overview of new laws for 2019
Although the $34 billion budget dominated the session, legislators introduced and considered more than 600 bills each in both the Senate and the House. The ones they passed covered a variety of matters, including hate crimes, hemp, gambling, foster parents, electricity generation and, of course, electric scooters.
Introduced, debated but not passed in the General Assembly
Not every bill introduced gains the traction needed to get to the governor’s desk. Many times, a proposed new law fails to get a committee hearing, or it stalls once it reaches the floor. Other times, as a measure progresses through the Statehouse, it ignites disagreements that are ultimately too much to overcome.
Justices side with business, government in information fight
The Supreme Court of the United States sided with businesses and the U.S. government Monday in a ruling about the public’s access to information, telling a South Dakota newspaper it can’t get the data it was seeking.
Group sues for records on U.S. election hacking vulnerability
The National Election Defense Coalition filed a lawsuit Thursday against Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson alleging she’s violated state law in denying public record requests since September for her communications about election security with the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Supreme Court upholds rule allowing state, federal charges
The Supreme Court is upholding a constitutional rule that allows state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime. The court’s 7-2 decision Monday preserves a long-standing rule that provides an exception to the Constitution’s ban on trying someone twice for the same offense.
High court avoids new case over same-sex wedding cake
The Supreme Court is throwing out an Oregon court ruling against bakers who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The justices’ action Monday keeps the high-profile case off the court’s election-year calendar and orders state judges to take a new look at the dispute between the lesbian couple and the owners of a now-closed bakery in the Portland area.
Justice backs Mnuchin’s refusal to turn over Trump’s taxes
The Justice Department issued a legal opinion Friday finding Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was right to withhold President Donald Trump’s tax returns from a House committee that subpoenaed them.
Susan Brooks to step down from Congress after fourth term
Indiana Rep. Susan Brooks, a Republican who has represented Indiana’s 5th District since 2013, announced Friday morning that she will not run for a fifth term in Congress.
Neighbors ask for rehearing on Right to Farm Act dispute
Supporters and opponents are mobilizing after the neighbors of an 8,000-hog farm in Hendricks County asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to reconsider its earlier ruling that found their nuisance claim based on the “noxious odors” from the farming operation was barred under Indiana’s Right to Farm Act.
Judge: DOC must pay $538K in ‘egregious’ death penalty records case
The Indiana Department of Correction’s refusal to disclose to the public information concerning the means it would use to execute a condemned criminal will cost taxpayers more than a half-million dollars in attorney fees, a judge has ruled.
Barker rejects request to keep closed South Bend abortion clinic pending appeal
Despite the Indiana Attorney General’s efforts, a federal judge has denied a request to stay the opening of what could become the state’s newest abortion clinic. Indiana Southern District Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker on Friday rejected Attorney General Curtis Hill’s request to keep closed the doors of a South Bend abortion clinic until the state’s appeal of the matter can be considered.
House resolution would make it easier to enforce subpoenas
A resolution being voted on Tuesday in the House would make it easier for Democrats to sue President Donald Trump’s administration and other potential witnesses who refuse to comply with subpoenas. The House resolution would authorize lawsuits against Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn for defying subpoenas pertaining to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.
7th Circuit upholds conditions of release
An Indiana man seeking relief for the conditions placed on his supervised release was reminded by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that it matters what is said and done before a federal judge.